How Does Titans Address Dark Subject Matter?

DC Universe’s Titans delves into extremely dark
subjects in its latest episode. But, does it do a good job?

Titans has effectively extricated itself from traditional
comic book adaptations by adopting an overly dark tone, even more so than The
Dark Knight trilogy and the DCEU films. The show has been working towards discussing
real-world issues, and in its latest episode, ‘Hank and Dawn’, Titans delivers
on its promise.

‘Hank and Dawn’ starts off with two wannabe superheroes
taking down a bad guy, but it soon evolves into a harsh portrayal of abuse, death
and revenge. This episode is not for the faint of heart, and it isn’t what we
expect to see in a show where people dress up in silly costumes to beat the
ever-loving crap out of each other.

We break down how ‘Hank and Dawn’ deals with the real-world
issues it purports to focus on. Spoilers ahead.

The Main Story

OG Dove and Hawk. Source: Series Regular

After an absence from Titans forthe last six
episodes, ‘Hank and Dawn’ puts Hawk and Dove back on centre-stage. The episode
is driven by Hank Hall’s (Alan Ritchson) past and his eventual rise into the
role of the superhero Hawk, with Dawn Granger (Minka Kelly) appearing partway
through with an origin story of her own.

Hank is a star football player with a scholarship and a
storied career, but when he receives football-related concussions, his younger
brother Don (Elliot Knight) steps in to ensure that Hank receives the proper
care and rest he needs. Hank, ever the hot-head, makes a scene about it in the
library, thus provoking a fight that ends with both him and Don being expelled
from their college.

But the Hall brothers have other matters to attend to. Don has
been tracking their neighbours and has found a network of sex offenders. He suggests
the two of them work together to take them down. Thus, begins the reign of the superhero
duo Hawk and Dove.

Meanwhile, Dawn is a ballerina, whose mother, Marie (Marina
Sirtis), has made the decision to return to her abusive partner. Dawn has managed
to escape this man but Marie is still in his thrall. Despite Dawn’s insistence
that Marie leave the man, who is implied to be her husband, Marie still thinks
she can make the best of a bad situation.

When a freak accident kills Don and Marie, Hank and Dawn end
up in the same therapy group, and seek solace in each other. As the two get
closer, they learn about each other’s past and it becomes clear that Dawn will
not rest till she can take down the bad guys of the world. Hank comes along for
the ride and a new Hawk and Dove are born.

Abuse and the Real World

Even heroes need therapy. Source: Series Regular

One of the earlier scenes in ‘Hank and Dawn’ sees a young
Hank (Tait Blum) win a football game attended by his little brother, Don
(Jayden Marine), who cheers him on enthusiastically from the stands. Observing this
is Hank’s coach, Vincent (Trevor Hayes), who promises to show Don the weight room/
locker room. When Hank sees the coach with his brother, he insists Don leave, even
swearing at his brother to stop him from going. It is evident that Hank is
terrified of his brother being alone with his coach but Don is too young to
understand. Eventually Hank agrees to go to the room with his coach in Don’s
stead. As the door closes behind young Hank and the coach, the boy appears resigned
to his fate.

Much later in the episode, Hank opens up to Dawn about the abuse
he suffered at the hands of his coach. The scene cuts right after he mentions
being taken inside the locker room, but whatever Hank tells Dawn off-screen is
incendiary enough for her to seek the coach out and try to get him to confess. It
is also heavily implied that Hank and Dawn eventually kill the coach in an act
of revenge.

Child abuse is not the only real-world crime that the
episode deals with – the abusive father/ step-father (the relationship is never
made clear) that Dawn has escaped is the show’s first foray into examining domestic
violence. Marie’s decision to return to her partner is a very real portrayal of
abusive relationships, as well. At one point, Marie talks to Dawn about how the
cycle of violence stopped when Dawn broke the man’s arm, but blames herself,
and Dawn’s sister, for making mistakes that incurred his wrath and began the
violence again. Victims of domestic violence often try to control their own
behaviour in the hopes of stopping their violent partner’s actions but this tactic
rarely works for long, something Dawn obviously realised, hence her reasons for
leaving.

What Did the Episode Do Wrong?

Too much Hank; not enough Dawn. Source: Series Regular

Despite the radically strong scene between Dawn and Marie and, particularly, Dawn’s insistence that her mother is stronger than she realises, this aspect of Dawn’s life, and that she has a sister who hasn’t escaped their father, is not as well-explored in this episode as it could have been. With the focus of the story being on Hank and his problems, the vital real-world issue of domestic violence that affects 1 in 4 women in America, gets swept under the carpet, and is not mentioned thenceforth. This is unfortunate, and once again places Dawn in relation to the men in her life rather than as a person in her own right.

Titans also surprisingly holds back from directly
addressing the coach’s abuse of Hank. There has been a running theme in the
show of heroes taking down paedophiles, but Titans has been strangely
afraid to actually use the word. We only see Dawn saying she’s sorry for what
happened to Hank and then pushing to exact revenge on the coach, but Hank never
gets to share his story in his own words.

As I was watching the episode, I couldn’t help but wonder if
the writing should have made the matter more explicit. During his brief appearances
on Titans,Alan Ritchson has shown a remarkable ability to imbue
Hank Hall with depth and emotion. Surely, Ritchson could have been trusted with
talking about what young Hank had been through? It feels like Titans wanted
the praise for dealing with difficult subjects, like child sexual abuse, but
was too afraid to actively engage with the topic within the text of the
episode.

I also wonder about the denouement – Hank and Dawn beating a
man to a pulp, maybe even killing him – not being very realistic. This isn’t exactly
an option normal people can resort to. Most people would have had to turn to
the law, not take it into their own hands. It feels like the episode, despite
generally strong writing, turned to the most convenient way to wrap up the
situation.

Noticeably, Dawn doesn’t get to seek revenge against her
father – instead she channels her anger at her mother’s death against the man
who hurt Hank. As fascinating a character study as this is, the messaging
borders on dangerous; as if to say, if you are hurt and angry, beat up the
first convenient target!

Sadly, the episode ends just as Dawn is speaking about her
regrets over their actions but ends before it gets to fully engage with this aspect.
One can only hope that future episodes will go back to that moment, as it is a
strange place to leave hanging.

What Did the Episode Get Right?

This episode was better than expected. Source: Super Hero Hype

For anyone who had read that ‘Hank and Dawn’ would be
dealing with issues of child sexual abuse, the thought might have been that the
victim would be Dawn, whereas Hank would be the victim of an abusive father. That
Titans chose to flip the gender script is commendable, and still
surprisingly rare. Boys are very often victims of sexual abuse but are less likely
to come forward about their experiences due to fears of being perceived as
weak.

I like that this episode dealt with its weighty issues with subtlety.
The scene where young Hank tries to save his baby brother is handled
particularly well. The building tension and the fact that something is very
clearly off about the coach is expertly drawn out, though I do wish Titans
would stop making its child actors swear. The rest of the episode evolves well,
but nothing quite captures the tense moments of that early scene. One can
really see why Hank becomes the man he is because of what happened to him.

The scene between Dawn and Marie where Marie discusses going
back to London, was another highlight, even though the subject matter made it a
tough watch. That Marie and Dawn still have a strong bond and healthy
relationship was a relief to see, as mother-daughter relationships are still
too often depicted as troubled and toxic. I love that Dawn’s story is motivated
more by her mother than anything else and I would have liked it if that was
more the focus of her characterisation than her devotion to Hank.

Thematically, ‘Hank and Dawn’ is starkly different from the
rest of Titans. By narrowing the focus to two characters, the episode
had room to showcase their histories and personalities, giving us a thorough
examination of what makes these characters tick and how their relationship
works. And, by delving into real-world problems, Titans finally shows
that its darkness isn’t just a matter of lighting but of tackling matters that affect
millions worldwide.

A writer at heart with a fondness for well-told stories, Louis Skye is always looking for a way to escape the planet, whether through comic books, films, television, books or video games. She always has an eye out for the subversive and champions diversity in media.